


Grooms and Wedding Crashers

by Cello_trash



Series: Making Windows Where There Were Once Walls + some oneshots [2]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Arthur Knows About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), Arthur Knows About Morgana's Magic (Merlin), Canon Era, Crack, Crack Treated Seriously, Established Relationship, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Redeemed Morgana (Merlin), Romance, Wedding Fluff, at least the beginning of a redemption arc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-15
Updated: 2020-05-15
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:26:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24194284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cello_trash/pseuds/Cello_trash
Summary: "It should never be a crime to love someone with all of your heart."Arthur and Merlin change some laws, get married, and Morgana crashes the wedding. In short crack and chaosCan probably be read on its own, but for more context read the first work on this series which is the main storyline
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: Making Windows Where There Were Once Walls + some oneshots [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1744669
Comments: 15
Kudos: 156





	Grooms and Wedding Crashers

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally going to be a short oneshot drabble about their wedding, but then Morgana crashed through the wall to my room and demanded a redemption arc (Or at least the beginning of one) and who am I to deny her, she's right lol  
> All mistakes are my own

It had been nearly a year since magic had been legalized in Camelot, and the kingdom was flourishing in a way that it had not for many decades. With the help of magic, crops were bountiful that spring and summer, meaning that with proper rationing, the winter months had been much easier.

But today, Camelot was buzzing with energy for an entirely different reason. King Arthur was finally getting married! The staff of the castle were bustling about, completing the last minute preparations for the ceremony. They wanted to make the event perfect because Merlin was one of them, even if he wasn’t technically a servant anymore.

Magic users from all around the kingdom had gathered in the city as well, helping with the festivities. Banners were magically hung from the light posts, and magic fire crackers and other toys were handed out to the children. The visiting Druids had caused beautiful flowers to grow from the cobblestones, and the water in the fountains sparkled with a mystical tint. The very air itself was thick with magic and revelry.

While everything was grand now, it had taken a lot of work and pain to get to this point. For several months after magic was legalized and Merlin was appointed to the position of court sorcerer, Arthur and Merlin had hidden their relationship as they had not wanted it to look like Merlin had put Arthur under a spell. 

To the outside world they were nothing more than coworkers. Arthur dealt with the general duties of ruling the kingdom, while Merlin oversaw the integration of magic back into Camelot, the punishment of magical crimes, served as an ambassador to the druids, and helped enact magical policy.

In private, when it was just the two of them, or when they were with their friends, (they had told all the knights that were loyal to Arthur, as well as Gwen) they were able to act like a couple; their friends were almost disgusted by how mushy they were around each other.

From the night that Arthur had told Merlin that he wanted to marry him, the two of them started planning how they were going to announce their relationship and change the law that made being gay illegal. Night after night was spent pouring over documents and brainstorming ways to persuasively convince the council and kingdom that the law change was needed. While many of the council members who were big supporters of his father had left after the legalization of magic, there were still some that would definitely be opposed to Arthur marrying a man.

For six months they waited, biding their time and quietly collecting allies to their cause, until it was finally time. While there were still holdouts from Uther’s reign in the council, Arthur had been replacing them one by one over the past six months; the council would not stand in opposition to him anymore.

In addition, with the Round Table in place, Arthur knew that even if the old council members tried to overthrow him, the knights were truly loyal to him. In fact, many of them had been disparaged and persecuted by Uther, and while most were not as vocal as Gwaine, they held no love for the former king.

The only step left for Arthur and Merlin now was making the announcement to the people of Camelot. The morning of the announcement, Merlin woke up to an empty bed, something that hadn’t happened in a long time; Arthur was always the last one up. He patted the space beside him to find it cool, meaning that Arthur had been awake and out of their bed for a while now.

He looked around slightly panicked, (Arthur was always getting himself into trouble) but quickly let out a relieved breath when he saw Arthur bent over his desk, scribbling away at a piece of parchment. Merlin threw the covers back and slipped out of bed, shivering slightly at the feeling of the cold cobblestones under his bare feet.

“What are you doing up so early Arthur?” Merlin asked quietly as he walked towards the desk. Arthur initially didn’t respond, seemingly too focused on what he was writing, but when Merlin put his hands on Arthur’s shoulders and squeezed, Arthur leaned into the touch, letting his head drop back in relaxation.

“I’m just looking over the speech again. It feels like it’s missing something, or… it… it needs to be better; I just don’t know what I’m missing,” Arthur groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration.

“The speech is fine Arthur,” Merlin reassured. “We’ve gone over it dozens of times. It’s a good speech, and you are going to do great.”

“I’m just so nervous,” Arthur whispered.

“I know. But in three hours this will all be over, no matter how well it’s received, and be can openly be together.” Merlin grabbed Arthur’s hand, pulling him up from the chair, “now why don’t you practice it one more time for me. After that we’re going to have a bit of a lie in and a nice breakfast without worrying about the speech, and then you are going to go out there and be the great ruler that you are.”

Arthur pulled Merlin into a tight embrace, giving him a quick, chaste peck on the lips. “When did you get so wise?” Arthur asked softly.

“I always have been, you’ve just been too much of a stupid dollophead,” Merlin responded cheekily, patting Arthur patronizingly on the cheek.

“Oy!” Arthur shouted indignantly, before grabbing Merlin’s waist and tickling the younger boy mischievously. 

For the rest of the morning, no matter hard Arthur tried to think about it, Merlin succeeded in distracting Arthur from the speech. Finally, it was time, and the two of them walked to the balcony from which Arthur would be delivering his address. While Arthur usually gave his announcements by himself on the balcony, as an advisor, it wouldn’t look odd for the citizens of the city to see Merlin up there with Arthur; and once Arthur officially announced them as a couple… well it would be clear why Merlin was there.

They paused right outside the door to the balcony, and Merlin gave Arthur one last kiss, trying to pour all of the love he possessed into it. They looked deep into each other’s eyes for a split second, and then broke apart, putting enough distance between them so that no one would question their relationship.

‘Not for much longer,’ Arthur thought smiling, as he walked onto the balcony. He overlooked the crowd of people below him, and suddenly he was not nervous anymore. With Merlin by his side he could brave any obstacle.

When they saw him appear on the balcony, the gathered people grew quiet. Arthur took one last deep breath, before he began to speak:

_Citizens of Camelot, I asked for you to gather today to make an announcement that not only may affect some of you, but is also incredibly personal to me. For several years before he passed, I thought about the legacy that my father, Uther Pendragon, would leave behind after his death, and what I hoped my legacy would look like after my reign ends._

_Now that he is dead, I look back at my father’s reign in order to learn from the cautionary tale that was his life. While I do honestly believe that my father was driven from a want to do good, his actions were often misguided and twisted. Because of the fear and guilt in his own heart, the mark he left upon our kingdom was one of terror, anguish, and despair for many, chief among them people who practice magic._

_His war on magic actively brought harm to Camelot, from the pain it caused, to encouraging magic users to turn dark, to depriving our kingdom of resources, and beyond. I believe that any person would be hard pressed to argue that our kingdom has fallen into decay since the legalization of magic. Quite the contrary, the use of magic has increased crop production during the warmer months, helped with repairs, and given us Camelot’s strongest ally in decades: the Druids._

There was a hum of agreement throughout the crowd, and Arthur even saw people visibly shaking their heads up and down in approval. When he quickly glancing behind him, Merlin was giving Arthur a big, reassuring smile, and Arthur was emboldened.

_More than anything, I believe that this shows the importance of being able to openly embrace who you are without having to worry about retribution. I watched my sister fall prey to the fear that she felt because of my father, and how it turned her against me and the entire kingdom of Camelot. I failed my sister. Even though I did not know that she was born with magic, I knew that something was wrong and yet I did nothing because I was too scared to stand up to my father. She was punished and told she was wrong for something she had no choice over; for simply being alive._

Arthur’s voice cracked slightly as he tried to fight down his emotions.

_I never want anyone else to feel like that again, which brings me to the declaration I want to make today. While sorcerers were my father’s biggest target, there is another seed of prejudice that has been passed down from father to son, mother to daughter, parent to child, for over a century in our kingdom; rooted in the very foundation of Camelot. And that is the belief that the only legitimate love is that shared between a man and a woman._

_This idea was instilled in me from a very young age, and while I never had to feel the fear of being discovered with magic, I did grow up steeped in shame and guilt over my… attraction to men._

At this, several gasps were heard from the crowd, but Arthur pushed on; now that he had said it out loud, he needed to finish his speech without any more hesitations.

_I am rescinding the law which makes it illegal to be queer immediately. And for those that are still not persuaded by my arguments, I just want to say that my current relationship with a man is the reason that I am the person, and ruler, I am today. He has saved my life many times, and shown me the error of my ways even more frequently. He is the reason why I started to second guess some of my father’s decisions, and he is a friend to many of you._

Arthur reached back for Merlin’s hand and pulled him forward so that he was standing shoulder to shoulder with Arthur. Arthur turned slightly, and gestured at Merlin. His eyes were no longer on the crowd in front of him; they were trapped in the cool blue eyes of the man beside him.

_I present to you, Merlin, the Court Sorcerer of Camelot… and the love of my life. It is a beautiful thing to be able to openly be true to yourself, something that Merlin has taught me through his magic, his undying bravery and loyalty, and his unabashed kindness to everyone he meets._

He turned back to the crowd. It was Merlin’s turn to stare lovingly at Arthur, ignoring the crowd.

_And so, I repeat, from this moment henceforth, it will be legal to love and marry whomever you like, as long as all parties involved are in agreement._

_For it should never be a crime to love someone with all of your heart._

There was a stunned silence, and Arthur used the opportunity to complete the last thing he needed to do. He turned back to Merlin, and locking eyes with the man he loved, slowly began to fall on one knee. Merlin whispered out a, “oh, you daft, romantic sod,” as he realized what was happening.

Arthur raised his voice once more so that all could hear. “Merlin. Will you agree to rule beside me as my husband for as long as I am alive?”

Instead of a verbal answer, Merlin, overcome with emotions, grabbed Arthur by the lapels of his jacket and pulled him up into a desperate, ravishing kiss. The silence in the crowd below was broken by a single person starting to cheer, and soon most everyone was yelling and clapping in joy as Merlin and Arthur kissed in the balcony above.

In between ruling a kingdom, and having to plan the wedding, it felt like years had passed since that cold winter day several months ago, Arthur thought as he stared at himself in the mirror, brushing some dust from the bright red cape that hung around his shoulders.

“Nervous?” A voice called from the door. Arthur turned to see Hunith standing there looking teary eyed.

“Honestly? Not really…” Arthur responded. “I’m not sure I’ve ever been so sure about something in my entire life.”

“I spent so much of his childhood worrying about his magic… I never imagined that he would marry the King,” Hunith huffed humorously.

Since asking Hunith’s permission for Merlin’s hand, Arthur and Merlin had taken a trip to Ealdor, and Arthur had become quite close with Hunith. She was the mother he never had, and now she was going to officially be his mother. He smiled at the thought.

Before either of them could say anything else, Gwaine burst into the room. “Everything’s ready princess. It’s showtime.” Arthur nodded, and side by side with Hunith, walked into the throne room.

Merlin had honestly been expecting something to go wrong during the ceremony, (evil sorcerer, etc.) but everything had gone smoothly. The Knights of the Round Table all acted as best men. He and Arthur had exchanged vows, and crowns. As a symbol of Camelot’s acceptance of magic, Arthur gave Merlin his gold crown, and in return was given one carved from intertwined tree branches. It had been a gift from the Druids, and was charmed so that the flowers and berries peeking out from the branches would never wilt or rot. Arthur thought the gold suited Merlin more anyway; it matched his eyes when he did magic.

After the ceremony, Merlin and Arthur had spent a lot of time dancing during reception, and eventually Merlin had excused himself briefly in order to get himself a drink.

For a couples minutes he stood at the edge of the party sipping some wine, observing everybody having fun before Arthur tracked him down.

“Hey, there you are,” Arthur said lovingly. “Have I told you how good you look in that crown by the way?”

“Only about a thousand times,” Merlin laughed.

Arthur crowded into Merlin’s space, and whispered, “Well, it’s true… I’ll show you just how good you make me feel tonight…”

However, Merlin did not comprehend a single word Arthur said, because at the same time that Arthur had leaned in, someone familiar entered the throne room.

Morgana.

In normal dramatic fashion, she extinguished several torches along the wall with a snap of her fingers, noticeably darkening the room. Arthur whipped around and the knights all drew their swords, rushing her before she could attack anyone.

However, Morgana didn’t move to attack, or even to protect herself. As soon as she had drawn attention to herself, she kneeled on the ground, hands behind her head, and loudly declared, “I am here to turn myself in for the crimes of treason and attempted murder of the King. I beg for an opportunity to explain myself, for I am at your mercy.”

‘Well fuck, there goes a nice, relaxing night and honeymoon,’ Merlin thought exasperatedly. Couldn’t he have even one day off from this nonsense?

Everyone was in shocked silence for several minutes, Arthur and Morgana both frozen, staring at each other, the guards and knights not knowing what to do.

Finally, Arthur spoke, voice cracking, “Take her down to the dungeons, I will listen to what she has to say.”

As the knights dragged Morgana off, Arthur turned to look at Merlin apologetically, at a loss for words.

As much as Merlin wanted to be selfish, he knew that now was not the time for that. “Would you like me to come talk to her with you, or do you need a moment alone with her?”

“I think I need to be alone Merlin… I’m… I’m sorry, but we have a lot of things we need to say to each other.” As Merlin nodded, Arthur grabbed his arm, wanting to make his next point clear, “This doesn’t mean I’m shutting you out, I swear. There will be time for you to talk to Morgana and I’ll need your guidance, I just need a few hours with her.”

“I understand Arthur. I wish we could have had at least one quiet night together, but you’ve missed your sister so much. If you have the chance to start making amends right now, go. I’ll be waiting for you once you’re done.”

“God, I love you,” Arthur said, kissing him deeply, his tongue running along the top of Merlin’s mouth. They both moaned into each other’s mouths before pulling away.

“I love you too Arthur, never forget that. I’m here for you.”

“I’m here for you too. I’ll see you later, I swear.” In an attempt to lighten the mood, Arthur continued, “Don’t think just because this happened, that I don’t still want to do all sorts of unspeakable things to you tonight, with you being a tease all day in your tight fitting pants.”

“I can’t wait,” Merlin said winking, before sobering up again. “Go see your sister, Arthur.”

And at that, Arthur turned, and walked out of the throne room and made his way down to the dungeon.

When he got there, he found her in the very last cell, all the way down the dark hallway. They both just stood there looking at each other for what could have been ten seconds or ten years. Arthur finally broke the silence, sighing, “Can I come in, Morgana?” he asked, shaking the ring of keys in his hand.

“You really want to be in the same cell as me? I could kill you for all you know,” Morgana stated, her tone half questioning and half scolding.

“If you wanted to kill me, you could do it with me outside the cell. You have magic,” Arthur reasoned.

“How do you know this isn’t a trick Arthur? This could be me trying to get back into your good graces so that I can destroy Camelot from within.”

“Are you trying to convince me that I should have you killed?”

“Maybe…” she whispered sadly. “It’s just that you’ve always been too quick to trust those who mean you harm, and too suspicious of those who don’t,” Morgana said desperately.

“Hah… I think you’ll find that Merlin agrees with you there,” Arthur chuckled while he opened the lock to the cell and stepped inside. “He’s told me of all the times he has had to save me because of that. He’s threatened that if I don’t trust him about a person he thinks is out to get me, he’ll let them kill me just to make a point about my foolishness.”

“Yeah… so about Merlin… how’d that happen?”

“Eh, we’d been circling each other of years… I finally just realized how much of an idiot I was being.”

“Miracles really do exist,” Morgana said dryly as they both sat down. It was awkward for both of them; their natural banter was still there, but now there was also betrayal and hurt as well.

“I’m sorry Morgana,” Arthur said morosely. “If I had been braver, if I’d been a better friend, none of this would have happened…”

“I appreciate that Arthur, but it wasn’t ever really your fault, at least not all your fault. I just hated Uther so much, and you reminded me of him… and then the whole Merlin trying to poison me thing…” She blew out a deep breath. “I think we both have a lot of apologizing to do to each other. Probably more than we’ll ever have time for.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m happy that someone was able to get you to see that magic isn’t bad. I know I must not have helped, with me going full evil. You’re a better man than I gave you credit for, so I’m sorry for that as well.”

“I wouldn’t say you went ‘full evil’ Morgana, maybe ¾ evil, but not full,” Arthur tried to joke, bumping Morgana’s shoulder with his own. “You wouldn’t have returned here if you were really evil…” Arthur whispered hopefully. “You did come here to try and make amends, right?”

“Yes; if you’ll let me.”

“I believe that you are telling me the truth, but you’ll have to stay down here for a while longer, maybe a week. Afterwards I can move you to your old chamber, under guard supervision of course, but it’d be a start and we could go from there,” Arthur said seriously, already thinking of how this would work. Morgana had hurt enough people in Camelot that she would not be easily forgiven, but if she really did mean what she said, Arthur would work his hardest to reintegrate her into Camelot.

He went on, “And when it comes to credit, I don’t really deserve any. You were right about me. I was terrible to Merlin when I found out he had magic; so much so that I almost lost him for good. Without Merlin, I think you gave me exactly the amount of credit I was due in terms of acceptance… so don’t apologize for that…” 

“It’s a good thing that Merlin’s a better man than either of us then, isn’t it?” Morgana remarked sincerely.

“Oh definitely.” There was another stretch of long silence.

“I missed you to pieces, Arthur,” Morgana breathed.

“I missed you to pieces too, Morgana,” Arthur replied in the same wispy tone.

It was a good thing it was dark because it would have been an embarrassing sight to see the two children of Uther Pendragon weeping together on the floor of a dirty jail cell.

Once they had both composed themselves, Arthur said, with a semi-regretful tone, “I need to get back up to Merlin…”

“Of course you do Arthur, I didn’t expect you to come visit me tonight of all nights. It was a nice surprise, but go spend some time with your husband.”

“I wouldn’t have had to be separated from him if you didn’t have to be such a drama queen,” Arthur retorted crossly. “Couldn’t you have waited until next week?”

“It wouldn’t have made such a grand entrance then,” Morgana sniffed.

“My point exactly… have a good night Morgana, I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Give Merlin my regards. And I’d appreciate it if you could ask him if he wouldn’t mind coming down to talk to me when he has time. We have a lot of apologizes for each other as well.”

“Will do,” Arthur said as he opened the cell door. He paused right before locking it and said, “And… it’s good to have you back Morgana.”

“I never thought I’d ever actually mean this, but… it’s good to be back.”

Arthur gave her a wane smile, and turned the key in the lock.

By the time Arthur got back up to his chambers, it was late, and so he opened the door quietly in case Merlin was already asleep. To his great pleasure, Merlin was very much awake, and very much almost naked; only his underwear left on.

Merlin looked up from his lounging position on top of the sheets and smirked, “Good thing you’re back… much longer and I would have gotten bored enough to start on my own. It’d be sad if you’d missed the festivities.” Merlin had a playful glint in his eye.

“Good thing…” Arthur’s voice was muffled as he hurriedly pulled his shirt over his head, his pants coming off soon after as he approached the bed with a smirk of his own. He crawled up on the bed, looming over Merlin and pinning his hands above his head.

“How’s Morgana?” Merlin gasped out.

“She’s okay for now, I’ll fill you in later, but _jesus_ Merlin, don’t talk about my sister when we’re about to have sex,” Arthur wrinkled his face up as if he had just eaten something disgusting.

“I was just trying to make sure everything was alright before you jumped me, but, you’re so right _Sire_ , _how could I have questioned His Royal Pratness_ ” Merlin replied snarkily.

“Careful _Mer_ lin, I already told you I’d make you regret being a tease all evening, you don’t want to make it worse, do you?” Arthur leered as Merlin tried to break out of his handhold, whining.

Turns out, even with Morgana causing chaos, their wedding night would be plenty intimate and memorable after all.

**Author's Note:**

> I think I'm going to do another oneshot/shortish story within this series that focuses more on Morgana's redemption. If that sounds like something that you think would be cool leave a comment letting me know, they give me inspiration!  
> As always if you enjoyed please leave a kudos and/or comment :))))  
> Also feel free to comment if you catch any dumb errors and I'll fix them lol


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